This invention relates generally to radiation conversion methods and apparatus, and more specifically to method and apparatus for converting a resonance photon of a single gas to a photon of a molecule of a single gas which molecule is excited, for obtaining emission of radiation from the excited molecule.
Molecular radiation sources have been used as background sources for the measurement of absorption spectra of other species, particularly in the vacuum ultraviolet. Examples of such sources are given in applicant's copending application Ser. No. 586,273, filed June 12, 1975 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,922. In that application, resonance photons were directed into a mixture of two gases, with the photons being characteristic of one of the gases of the mixture. It has now been found that the desired radiation can be obtained by utilizing a single gas rather than a mixture of gases, with the resonance photons producing excited molecules of the single gas which then provide the desired emission.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for converting resonance radiation into radiation characteristic of an excited molecule while using only a single gas in the conversion cell.
A further object is to provide such a method and apparatus which can utilize a variety of gases to obtain radiation at various frequency ranges for various types of analysis.
Other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.